quadrennial

[ kwo-dren-ee-uhl ]

/ kwɒˈdrɛn i əl /

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adjective

occurring every four years: a quadrennial festival.

of or lasting for four years: a quadrennial period.

noun

an event occurring every four years, as an anniversary or its celebration.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of quadrennial

1640–50; earlier quadriennial<Latin quadrienni(um) (see quadrennium) + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM quadrennial

quad·ren·ni·al·ly, adverb

Words nearby quadrennial

quadratics, quadrature, quadrature of the circle, quadrel, quadrella, quadrennial, quadrennium, quadri-, quadriad, quadric, quadricentenary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quadrennial in a sentence

In 2014, the quadrennial review by the Department of the Interior and the Forest Service laid out four scenarios for how the fire landscape might look in a decade or so.
California’s Forever Fire|by Elizabeth Weil, ProPublica, photography by Meridith Kohut for The New York Times Magazine|January 3, 2022|ProPublica
For many aspiring Olympians, the quadrennial event is the culmination of a lifetime of sacrifices to compete against the best athletes in the world while representing their country on an international stage.
Out athletes going for gold|Kevin Majoros|July 22, 2021|Washington Blade
The Olympic Games are a quadrennial opportunity for thousands of elite athletes to come together not just in pursuit of sporting greatness, but in the name of humanity.
The 18 New Stars Who Will Light Up Tokyo|Leslie dela Vega|June 20, 2021|Ozy
Cafritz, one of the last of the District’s grand dame hostesses, threw quadrennial inaugural parties for nearly three decades.
Buffy Cafritz, D.C. philanthropist and bipartisan political hostess, dies at 91|Matt Schudel|May 6, 2021|Washington Post

On Monday morning, Bowser said at a news conference that she urged all Americans to stay home rather than travel to Washington, a city that normally welcomes the quadrennial flood of inauguration tourists with open arms.
Today in D.C.: Headlines to start your Tuesday in D.C., Maryland and Virginia|Teddy Amenabar, Justin Wm. Moyer|January 12, 2021|Washington Post
This quadrennial “running of the mulls” almost makes you feel sorry for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
Matt Latimer: Why I Hate Town Halls and Undecided Voters|Matt Latimer|October 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST
After every quadrennial vice-presidential audition, another cautionary guideline emerges.
How Obama Will Cash In on Paul Ryan: Medicare, Taxes, Education & More|Robert Shrum|August 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
This is exactly when and how these quadrennial Democratic cluster-you-know-whats start.
Michael Tomasky Gives the President Some Advice: Grow a Pair, Obama!|Michael Tomasky|June 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When he floated his quadrennial idea three months ago, I assumed it was more of the same.
Donald Trump's Platform for President in 2012|Lloyd Grove|January 10, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Who came up the shortest in the Capitol's quadrennial reshuffling?
Washington's Five Biggest Losers|Ana Marie Cox|December 16, 2008|DAILY BEAST
I fairly gloat over these quadrennial political campaigns of ours.
The Genial Idiot|John Kendrick Bangs
Quadrennial, kwod-ren′yal, adj. comprising four years: once in four years.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R)|Various
I did not believe as the quadrennial period approached in 1892 that Mr. Cleveland could be elected.
Marse Henry (Vol. 2)|Henry Watterson
The quadrennial renewal of all the municipal councils of France took place in May 1900.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 7|Various
The campaign which followed the conventions was the most remarkable in the long history of our quadrennial spectacles.
Contemporary American History, 1877-1913|Charles A. Beard

British Dictionary definitions for quadrennial

quadrennial

/ (kwɒˈdrɛnɪəl) /

adjective

occurring every four years

relating to or lasting four years

noun

a period of four years

Derived forms of quadrennial

quadrennially, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012